Todd's Mischief Blog

It's an old debate over whether red states or blue states pay in more than their fair share of taxes verses what they get back. I've had the same discussion enough times that I want to preserve my usual arguments here for quick reference. SALT (state and local tax) deductions are a de facto subsidy paid by low-tax red states to high-tax blue states to make the high state rates feel about one-third lower. Essentially, money that would have gone to the feds from a blue state gets shifted directly to that state rather than make the round-trip. But that doesn't get counted in the transfer. One counterargument to this is that a state that taxes its people more to pay for its own programs is taking care of its own and doesn't need to ask for money from the government. But that sidesteps the fact that, to do it that way, someone else needs to pick up the slack. In effect, Texans pay more in federal taxes so Californians can pay less of what ultimately ends up in West Virgi...

and what to do about it @cobracommandr15 observes:  Notice whenever Joe Biden indignantly opens his eyes wide 👀, he does so to imply something is conspicuously obvious to his audience when in reality, it isn’t even true. [ LINK ] @AndToddsaid: Yep, it's his tell for a non sequitur. Biden's entire persuasive tool kit boils down to saying "duh" over and over. That's his hammer. Unfortunately, it's highly effective on people who think of themselves as "getting it." @Gitabushi : Confirmation bias is a helluva drug. @cobracommandr15: Scott Adams says that CNN assigns political opinions to its audience. @AndToddsaid: Biden is the final form of the Democrat née Communist Party's persuasion model since the hippy sixties. Flatter kids that they're smarter than their parents (easy), teach them political party is central to their ID, pull shit from your ass while saying "Don't you get it, man?" @Gitabushi: This is The Way. ...

The tweet below tacks onto what I've said before about Black lives having little to do with people of Sub-Saharan descent. In our son’s elementary school, let me repeat *elementary school* pic.twitter.com/RwupYmqLCe — Vinny (@itsyaboyvp) September 9, 2020  People are dunking on the typo, but what jumped out at me are the phrases "Black Lives Matter" versus "No Human is Illegal." At first blush, one might react, "Whoa! Isn't 'No Human is Illegal' dangerously close to 'All Lives Matter'?" Not at all, says I. You see, Undocumented Lives are Black Lives.  As are trans lives. As are addict lives. As are felon lives. As are impoverished lives. As are sex worker lives. As are homeless lives. You get the idea. You might think of "Black" as a synonym for "marginalized" in most contexts, but that doesn't quite capture it. (more later) "Black" and "marginalized" are better understood when co...

 by @Gitabushi Check out this conversation. The Leftist is very *externally* focused.  He seems to think that someone else will decide if he is successful or not, and that his happiness depends on that external validation. (tagging in @AndToddsaid for fun) If this were your class, what would your sign say? — Matthew Penn (@MatthewPennMSU) September 10, 2020 Mine would be: Path to Success: Get an education Get a job Get married Have children Stay married Do it in this order Get a house at some point Never blame others for your problems Never give up liberty for security, or lose both Ignore these rules, your life will suck — @Gitabushi The cost of education is well above what most people can pay. Wages have been stagnant for decades, so it is next to impossible to afford educational costs without taking on crushing debt. What does getting married or having children have to do with success...

The rapidity with which the Cathedral ceded a niche for Yarvin will be overlooked. Then again, stage, TV, movie personality George Carlin was an outspoken critic of the establishment. You probably think the Alex Jones clownshow just happened to name his program using the very best term available to describe what we’re living through. I’m not saying everything’s an op. That notion may serve an ideology’s longevity, but it comes at the expense of growth.

Some more good Twitter conversation. I feel like I did a good job of illustrating Magic Words Thinking in this one; it's called out below. @Gitabushi : Can't stop thinking about this thread and what I learned from it. Yay yay yay! Gita has got it. The only way to understand the Left is to get into their headspace, which is a completely foreign place to the average conservative or even centrist thinker. https://t.co/mgpKFR06Uw — Todd of 93% Mischief (@AndToddsaid) September 3, 2020 @TheCynicalVixen : I feel like this is definitely something I instinctively understand, but absolutely suck at putting into words.  I have to think there are others out there who do, too.  I really need to learn how to put it to words, though, so I can make effective statements. @AndToddsaid: The challenge is that Leftism is a visceral ideology. It operates beneath words. Yes, it needs words to spread, but it’s tapping into base feelings of resentment and entitlement. So it doesn’t need to sp...